I absolutely love this song. Been a favorite, and I am proud to say I can actually have it on rotation. Meaning I picked up this on vinyl, and awhile back over the summer. I loved the album, in fact it was the first one that I put on when Karl and I returned from my first ever day of digging! However, this became one of those tracks that I just skimped over. I have no idea why, perhaps I was just flying through the LPs to find what was dope and what would be fun to sample for my first time!
This is seriously perfect. That nice slow intro of the absolute sweetest grooves. The piece that probably is most familiar to me ears it that boom-bip type of beat. Carries something you hear in a lot of hip-hop tracks nowadays. And Sharon Paige, the lovely lady featured on this LP, is the star on this track, a magnificent voice. Singing the hook that I can't help but sing along to, my god it is catchy. The tunes are so sweet throughout the track! The strings that bring out the power of the vocals are a treat. The horns are great too! I must say this is my idea of soul, every element is there. The sweet words and rhythms, and the emotion carried through each voice. When you can tell they are really belting it out and are truly one with the music, that is when I get inspired and really know they love what they are doing.
Short and sweet post, enjoy the classic!
And this was recorded onto my computer straight from the wax, I was pretty impressed with the quality, being this was a $1 record! And oh it is worth so much more!
I have recently become fascinated with Sam Cooke's work. The guy just amazes me, with such lovely rhythms, and sweet old time melodies. Thanks to Rob Fel, who samples him in several of his beat videos and who helped me to find this guy. Sam Cooke is just incredible. He really brings you back in time with those themes of young love and classic grooves. You simply gotta love the feel of those background singers, you don't hear them to often these days. Those "Oooohhhss" are just sweet butter on the track. "Then why did you give your heart so fast?", it just sounds beautiful.
A typical topic of young love and affairs that under the circumstances, just wouldn't work out. It is bittersweet. Without the music you could interpret the lyrics as a tragic tale, and while that may be true. The soul brought to this piece makes things optimistic, and just lovely. Those backup singers make all the difference in this piece. The guitar and drums got your hands dancing, your head swaying, and your neck bobbing. This piece is just an undeniable masterpiece and there are so many other works from this wonderful man.
So by now much of his music is on YouTube!
Also Rob Fel's channel: If you like beat videos this man has got you covered! Samples a few of Cooke's work as I mentioned.
Here watch him flip Cooke's, "I Love You (For Sentimental Reasons)"
Can't think of a the last time I reviewed a track that wasn't hip-hop. Funny enough, I discovered this track thanks to just that very art, right off Common's "Be". That album is just damn good, but I'll get to that some other day. From the original to Common's "Faithful", it only makes sense you hear those similarities. Last time I did a soul post was probably the Whatnauts, and man since my instrumental dig I just love soul more and more every time. What can I say, it just gives you that ultimate feeling, appropriately-titled genre I suppose. DJ Rogers is a nice addition to my small collection. His voice is a bit more powerful than some of the singers in the Whatnauts, but they get me goin' either way.
Of course the topic is quite clear. A man needs his woman, he'll do anything he can to keep her and show his love to her. Another good thing about soul, it just sorta lifts your spirits with the heart that holds a positive message always. This one holds a very smooth groovy rhythm, nothing too corny however. Of course today if I am listening to soul you get weird looks, especially in my age, but the music is too good I don't care. With that said, the singing on this is absolutely killer, you can really feel how much the man gets lost in this music, losing all control definitely shows how deep the artist's passion runs into his music. And knowing how sincere and truthful it is just adds that much more power to every word.
Other elements to look forward to are in the very middle and end of the song. Their is a sick solo, which you will probably hear on several hip-hop records, especially Common's "Faithful". This adds that funk I was talking about, which gives you time away from the vocals, before you are sucked back in. One particular note I'd like to make is how loose the song becomes. When I say this I speak of the shattering of the song's pattern; that being the song's structure of verse and chorus. When Mr. Rogers here goes out at the end with soul-shaking cries. That quality is just so liberating when taken out of the song's structure, I just get lost in it. Damn how I love soul.
So yeah, if you think you like soul, go for it. Some might not be my taste, but that is what exploration is for. After all, why am I writing this? Ha I won't even try to answer that, I'll keep this short.
Album is It's Good To Be Alive, released in '76. I can't find the thing anywhere, but once I take a trip to the record store, maybe I'll get some success.
Recently I have been interested in discovering a lot of Soul/R&B. And this song has really become something special to me. I can only wonder where I can find a larger library of songs, such as these. However I can manage that some other time, for now I find peace with this masterpiece. As you may already know, this piece was sampled in "Late", which led to my discovery of "I'll Erase Away Your Pain" afterwards. It is such a good track stand alone, and quite a bit different considering the fact it was sampled. Despite the fact I have been listening to Late Registration for so long, I never looked up the sample for "Late". Well I am very happy I did!
The song is by The Whatnauts, a trio of soul singers, and this showcases their abilities very well. While the track is very old, it was a hot single back in the day. Reaching #14 on the R&B charts. I myself don't care about the numbers at all, I really could care less about who is famous and who isn't. My point is, it was popular back in the day, now hiding in the libraries of music, and personally I have found it to be popular with my ears, as with people back in 1971! Perhaps the reason for my positive reaction, is because I don't hear enough soul and can make no comparison.
Regardless of that fact, the track is beautiful. What true soul should be, something that soothes you and connects with you on an incredibly high emotional level. The singing is so beautiful, and they put so much life into every word. Whether singing softly and slowly, or that ear-gripping "i'll erase away!". You really can't explain this it is just terrific singing. The lyrical content doesn't need too much discussion, but they of course discuss a girl, one whom "always gets pushed around". The whole message after listening is perhaps this: be real with yourself, and never alter your image because of others. You may change, but just remember don't do it to fit in. In a world so clouded by layers of materialism and the concept of fitting in, it's nice to see somebody staying true to themselves.
The music is very slow, of course. Those same harps from "Late" are back, however there are some different elements of course. The difference is the guitar in the background, the strings may be different. However, they sound all together like very distinguished. The drums may be different as well. It is certainly hard to actually decipher all the sounds between "Late" and this song. Still, the track makes good use of the drums changing in intensity as the vocals go up in volume. Also the strings are a nice addition and the harps lace with the other instruments to create some real magic. Whatever stands out for you, it is being elegant either way, touching the heart and warming the mind.
The Whatnauts have certainly grabbed my interest in Soul, and I hope to discover more. Hopefully this post explained my variety in music is a bit more vast. More to come, more to explore. Songs like this really mend the heart and balance the soul. This also explains my favorite aspect of sampling: the discovery of older music, otherwise hidden jems.
Hope you connected with the message, and more importantly, found happiness in listening.
